What Happened to Riva Restaurant After Best Thing I Ever Ate?
Best Thing I Ever Ate, Season 1 Santa Monica, California Closed October 2009
Current status
As of October 2026, Riva Restaurant has closed — confirmed via smmirror.com, December 2012.
What the source shows: ChefDb reported that Riva operated at 312 Wilshire Blvd from 2008 until it evolved into Fraiche in October 2009, and the Santa Monica Mirror reported that Fraiche itself closed at the same address in December 2012. How we decide a status →
- Episode Season 1, Episode 4
- Address 312 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401
- Website No current website found
- Show map
© OpenStreetMap contributors © CARTO
What happened after Best Thing I Ever Ate?
Riva in Santa Monica appeared on Best Thing I Ever Ate's 'Sugar Rush' episode, where chef Giada De Laurentiis highlighted the restaurant's chocolate hazelnut purse dessert, according to Foodiepie's episode catalog. Riva was an Italian restaurant with wood-fired pizzas at 312 Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica, according to Gayot. ChefDb reported that Riva operated from 2008 and evolved into a new restaurant, Fraiche, in October 2009, after chef Jason Travi revamped the menu with Mediterranean-inspired small plates. The Santa Monica Mirror reported in December 2012 that Fraiche then closed its Wilshire Boulevard location. A Yelp listing for the address, updated 2026-07, marks the original Riva listing as closed. No source found in this search describes what has occupied 312 Wilshire Boulevard since Fraiche's 2012 closure.
The episode
Also in Season 1
Season 1: 57 of 88 still open · 4 renamed, moved or under new owners
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Ep 3Animal
Closed -
Ep 4Al Forno
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Ep 4Bi-Rite Creamery
Open - Open
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Ep 4Luna Park
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Ep 4Stand
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Ep 4Tru
Closed - Open
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Best Thing I Ever Ate
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Before you go: Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.
Sources we checked
- chefdb.com https://www.chefdb.com/mpl/14393/Riva-Santa-Monica
- smmirror.com https://smmirror.com/2012/12/fraiche-santa-monica-closes-on-wilshire-boulevard/
- gayot.com https://www.gayot.com/restaurants/riva-santa-monica-ca-90401_2la081022.html
- foodiepie.com https://www.foodiepie.com/restaurant.php?rst=Riva-Santa-Monica-CA
We work hard to keep every status accurate and dated, but restaurants change fast and our sources aren't perfect. If something here is wrong — a status, a name, an address, anything — tell us what you're seeing and where you saw it, and we'll check it.
Record btiea-0040 · checked by Cal Marchetti.